"What?!" Ember sputtered, scrambling to keep up with him. "What do you an fight? Fight who?!"
Riven didn't answer. His pace was steady, purposeful as he moved through the thickening crowd. Students murmured as he passed, so stepping aside instinctively, sensing the shift in the air around him.
He reached the academy's Record of Power, the massive monolith standing at the heart of the training grounds. The nas etched into its surface glowed faintly, their positions shifting constantly as battles were fought and ranks were won or lost.
Riven's gaze swept over the rankings until he found his na—still near the bottom at Rank 218. He exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable.
Then, without hesitation, his eyes moved upward, scanning the nas twenty places above him—the limit of who he was eligible to challenge.
Riven frowned as he noticed Cole's na was now at 186. He must have done so serious training since Riven beat him up.
His eyes then flicked across the monolith, the nas shifting and pulsing with faint light. Rank 198. Lucas Veltain. Ember noticed his line of eyesight and began to funnel him information —he was a second-year specializing in wind magic, fast and agile, but ultimately just another stepping stone.
No.
Rank 203. Darius Grell. A brute-force brawler who infused raw mana into his fists. Not interesting.
Riven's gaze moved higher, until it finally landed on a na that made him pause.
Rank 199. Cedric Alburn.
A known duelist who had just secured his rank after a brutal win against another student. He was skilled, but more importantly—he was arrogant. Overconfident. The kind of opponent who would underestimate soone below him.
Perfect.
Riven smirked.
"This one," he said, tapping Cedric's na on the monolith.
Ember groaned. "You're seriously want to fight him?" She glanced at the ranking again and winced. "Cedric isn't weak, you know."
Riven rolled his shoulders, unfazed. "I know— neither am I."
Ember sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Alright, alright. If you're really going to challenge soone, you can report to the elder stationed at the training grounds. Pay five mana beast cores, and they'll summon your opponent."
Riven nodded. Simple enough.
As they made their way toward the duelling platforms, word began to spread. Whispers rippled through the crowd like wildfire—students catching onto the fact that soone was issuing a formal challenge. By the ti they reached the elder, a small crowd had already begun gathering.
The stationed elder, a middle-aged man with graying hair, looked up as Riven approached. His eyes flicked to the glowing monolith, then back to Riven.
"You wish to issue a challenge?" His voice was calm, but the weight behind it was undeniable.
Riven withdrew five mana beast cores from his inventory, letting them drop into the Elder's open palm.
"Yes," he said smoothly. "Cedric Alburn number 199."
The Elder studied him for a long mont before nodding. He lifted his hand, pressing his palm against the monolith. A pulse of golden mana spread outward, and the ssage was sent.
A formal summons.
The crowd stirred.
"Oh, this is going to be good…"
"Cedric's been itching to fight again."
"I don't think this Riven guy stands a chance."
Riven ignored the noise. He stood motionless, waiting.
Minutes passed.
Then, heavy footsteps echoed through the training grounds.
Cedric arrived.
He was tall and well-built. His short blond hair was tousled, his erald eyes gleaming with amusent as he took in the scene.
"You're the one who challenged ?" Cedric scoffed, crossing his arms. "Really? You're not even close to breaking into the one hundreds."
Riven tilted his head slightly, expression unreadable. "Are you accepting or not?"
Cedric smirked. "You must be desperate to climb the ranks. Fine. I'll humor you."
The elder stepped forward. "Both fighters, prepare yourselves."
A shimring barrier erupted around the training grounds, forming a protective do. Several elders had arrived now, reinforcing the field to ensure no damage leaked outside the combat zone.
The crowd pressed closer, eager to watch.
Riven stepped onto the battlefield, his abyssal flas already curling beneath his skin, itching to be released.
Cedric cracked his knuckles, his mana flaring to life—a swirling mix of fire and wind. Sparks crackled through the air as flas twisted into razor-sharp currents.
"You should've challenged soone weaker," Cedric said, rolling his shoulders. "Because I'm going to—"
Riven moved.
His abyssal flas erupted.
Black fire exploded outward in a violent surge, licking at the air, swallowing the arena in its searing void. The very ground beneath him blackened, the sheer force of his mana rippling like a storm.
The entire crowd froze.
Gasps rang through the air.
"What the hell—?!"
"His fire—it's black?!"
"That's not just normal flas—"
An uproar broke out almost instantly. Students whispered, shouted, speculated.
Cedric's smirk vanished. His gaze darted between the abyssal flas flickering around Riven. His stance shifted, suddenly more cautious.
The elders on the sidelines exchanged unreadable glances.
Riven tilted his head, watching the reactions unfold.
Hysteria over sothing so simple.
"They're just flas," he said flatly, his voice cutting through the chaos. "What? Black flas are enough to scare all of you like this?."
Silence stretched for a heartbeat.
Then—
A new presence arrived.
A powerful, suffocating wave of mana pressed down on the training grounds.
The murmurs died instantly.
The crowd parted and Archmage Elara stepped forward.
Her violet robes billowed slightly, the gold embroidery catching the light. Her dark purple eyes locked onto Riven with sharp interest, and though her expression remained composed, the weight of her scrutiny was undeniable.
"Well," she said lightly. "That's certainly an interesting fla."
The tension in the air was suffocating.
"Well?" She spread her gloved hands, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Go on, then. Continue."
Riven smirked as he face Cedric once more. They stood on opposite ends of the dueling platform, their mana crackling in the charged atmosphere. Cedric hesitated for only a mont, but it was enough for Riven to chuckle.
He's already shaken.
Riven wasted no ti. He surged forward, abyssal flas exploding from his body, his black fire twisting and writhing like sentient creatures hungry for destruction. The ground beneath him cracked as he closed the distance in an instant.
Cedric snapped out of his montary daze, his instincts kicking in. He thrust his hands forward, wind and fire mana surging together. A whirlwind of searing flas erupted between them, ant to force Riven back.
But Riven didn't slow.
His abyssal flas devoured the incoming fire, swallowing the heat like an endless void. He stepped through Cedric's attack as if it was nothing, his smirk widening into sothing unhinged.
Cedric's eyes widened in horror.
"What—?"
Riven's fist shot forward as he activated Crimson Mirage. The image of his attack flickered, multiple afterimages forming around Cedric. Unable to discern the real strike, Cedric flinched and braced himself.
A mistake.
Riven's real attack slamd into his ribs, abyssal fire detonating upon impact.
Cedric was sent flying across the arena, his body skidding against the reinforced platform. He coughed, struggling to rise, his breathing ragged.
The crowd was deathly silent.
Then, whispers broke out.
"He walked through Cedric's spell—"
"What kind of fire is that?!"
"His mana—it feels strange."
Cedric pushed himself to his feet, gritting his teeth. He lifted his hands, his mana flaring wildly.
A massive wave of wind and fire erupted from his palms, swirling into a typhoon of destruction. The flas spun rapidly, empowered by his wind elent, turning into a spiraling inferno.
It roared toward Riven.
But Riven rely lifted a single hand.
His abyssal flas pulsed.
Then—Devour.
The mont Cedric's attack reached him, it vanished.
Riven's black flas consud it, tearing the mana apart as if it had never existed. The powerful attack that should've shaken the battlefield was reduced to nothing.
Cedric stumbled backward in disbelief. "…That's impossible."
Riven sighed, tilting his head. "You talk too much."
He moved again.
Faster.
Cedric barely had ti to react before Riven appeared before him, his abyssal fire flaring.
Riven's palm t Cedric's chest.
Scorching Chain.
Flaming chains erupted from his hand, wrapping around Cedric's body, binding him in place. Cedric struggled, but the fire licked at his skin, draining his mana every ti he resisted.
Riven leaned in slightly, his voice calm.
"You lost the mont you underestimated ."
Then, he released.
The abyssal flas surged in a final, overwhelming burst.
Cedric scread as his body was hurled backward, slamming into the reinforced barrier. The golden containnt field trembled from the force, but it held.
Cedric collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.
Silence.
The crowd was utterly stunned.
The Elder overseeing the duel finally stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "Winner—Riven."
A heartbeat later, the crowd exploded into an uproar.
"That—he—he destroyed Cedric!"
"What was that black fire?!"
"Did you see how it ate mana?! That's not normal!"
"He just jumped from Rank 218 to 199 in an instant—!"
The energy in the air was thick, overwhelming. Whispers and shouts filled the training grounds as students debated what they had just witnessed.
But Riven ignored all of it.
He dismissed his abyssal flas, turning away from Cedric's unconscious form as if nothing had happened. His expression was calm, composed.
Unbothered.
But soone was watching him very closely.
Archmage Elara.
She stepped forward, her violet robes catching the light, her sharp eyes locked onto him.
Riven felt the weight of her gaze—calculating, searching.
She knew.
Even though she hadn't said a word yet, he could tell.
She knew his flas were different. That they weren't just "stronger fire." That they weren't sothing normal.
But—
She turned to the watching crowd, her voice ringing clear.
"There is no need for this hysteria," she said smoothly. "His fire is simply a product of enhanced mana control. Fire magic is adaptable—its color shifts with power, and his has simply evolved."
Riven narrowed his eyes slightly.
She was lying.
Not to him—but to everyone else.
The students quieted slightly, but unease still hung in the air.
Elara turned back to him, her smirk faint. "Co, Riven."
It wasn't a request.
It was an order.
He exhaled slowly before stepping off the dueling platform, following her as she led him away from the training grounds.
The whispers continued behind them, but none dared stop them.
And as Riven walked alongside the Archmage, he knew one thing for certain.
She had questions. A lot of them.
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